Section Insights
Choosing the Right Story
How should I approach choosing a story in behavioral interviews?
When faced with a question that allows you to choose a story about your behavior, it's crucial to share your philosophy first, followed by the process you undertook, and then the outcome. This approach helps ensure that even if the story chosen isn't favored, your underlying philosophy aligns with the interviewer's expectations.
- Choosing the right story is critical in interviews.
- Start with your philosophy to align with the interviewer's values.
- Use a structured approach: philosophy, process, outcome.
Critique of the STAR Technique
Why is the STAR technique not effective for behavioral interviews?
The STAR technique, which focuses on Situation, Task, Action, and Result, can lead to losing the interviewer's interest if they dislike the chosen story. Instead, starting with your philosophy creates a safety net, ensuring that the interviewer remains engaged regardless of the story's content.
- The STAR technique may not guarantee a positive response.
- Starting with philosophy can maintain engagement.
- Aligning philosophies can mitigate risks in storytelling.
Handling Disagreements
How should I approach disagreements in a professional setting?
In disagreements, it's essential to recognize the disagreement, listen to the other person's viewpoint, and keep the ultimate goal in mind. By focusing on collaboration and seeking a combined solution, you can foster teamwork and arrive at a better outcome.
- Recognize and acknowledge disagreements.
- Listen actively to understand different perspectives.
- Aim for collaborative solutions that benefit the team.
Crafting the Ultimate Story
What makes an effective story for behavioral interviews?
An effective story should illustrate your open-mindedness, willingness to compromise, and teamwork. By sharing a specific example where you and another person disagreed but ultimately found a blended solution, you demonstrate valuable interpersonal skills.
- Use specific examples to illustrate key skills.
- Showcase open-mindedness and teamwork in your stories.
- A blended solution from disagreements highlights collaboration.
Adapting Your Approach
How can I adapt my storytelling approach for different interview questions?
While the core structure of sharing your philosophy, process, and outcome remains, you may need to adjust the example based on the question. For instance, if asked about influencing someone, focus on how you articulated your viewpoint after listening to others, leading to a successful outcome.
- Adapt your stories based on the interview question.
- Maintain a consistent structure while tailoring examples.
- Highlight your ability to influence and articulate viewpoints.
Transcript
0:00 When you get one of these where it is off the page so to speak and they throw you into the big blue ocean and you now have to choose a story you are at great risk of choosing a story that they will not like okay chances are you will choose a story they will not like you have a greater chance of doing that i'm not trying to scare you here i'm gonna give you the fix but i want you to know this is a different kind of
0:28 question and what i think is always important when you get one of these and they're very odd they're obvious to know because i was asked to choose something that is going to tell them something about my behavior not my accomplishments okay can we i i need you to write that down when i get a question about something where i'm given the opportunity to choose where my response is going to tell them about my behavior as opposed to my accomplishment i need to use a different
1:01 formula the different formula you need to use is you need to share with them your philosophy then i want you to share with them the process and then i want you to share with them the outcome now i haven't given this an acronym yet ppo is kind of like you know the healthcare thing anybody who wants to give me an acronym and help me brand this thing i'll give you a free coaching session or something you know there's the star technique that's out there situation task action result
1:33 and people tout it and they say this is the best way to answer behavioral interviewing questions and i think it's the absolute worst way to answer a behavioral interviewing question and i'll tell you why because if i go right into the situation i tell them what the task was i tell them what my action was and i tell them what the outcome was and they don't like the story that i chose i lost the question okay i lost it i gave myself no insurance
1:58 that they are going to still love me despite the fact that they didn't like the story i chose so you can eliminate that by explaining your philosophy on something because if your philosophy is in alignment with their philosophy it doesn't matter what story you choose okay let's be really specific so you know how to answer this question but i wanted you to know i wanted you to know what was coming and why i want you to do it this way okay
2:27 all right so number one philosophy so that's great that's a great question you know about a time that i disagreed with somebody i think i think i've got a great story for you but i i i'd love to share my philosophy about any disagreement because this is going to happen right you're getting you're going to work in an environment so why are people disagreeing we have different approaches we have different goals we have different motivations we have different ways that we we feel we might be
2:53 able to develop the solution for something and any time i get in a disagreement with somebody i think it's important the first thing is to recognize that i'm disagreeing and then the first thing that i do is i step back and i want to listen to their viewpoint right i want to understand why they're saying what they're saying and where they're coming from and i need to make sure that my mind is open so that's the first thing that i do
3:17 and the second thing that i do is ultimately i ask myself the question if we're disagreeing about something and we're doing this at work we obviously want to come up with the best solution for the company so i have to keep in mind and i have to remind myself what is the ultimate goal that we're trying to accomplish and then i look at what the person is saying and i try to think about okay is there a way where where i'm coming from and where they're coming from could actually be
3:42 combined to come up with an even better so what would be the best solution for us regardless of whose it is and hopefully it's something that we can combine to make it even better that's teamwork and that's the way that i look at it so there was this time when okay i could say what i just said role play it in less than 40 seconds okay and there was this time when and then the story right
4:08 after you just got done telling him i think and not or or i want to go with the best solution for the company and then you go in with the detailed example and the ultimate disagreement is when you you and somebody else initially did not see eye to eye and you came out with the third solution that was a blend of the two that is the ultimate story why number one you were open-minded number two you
4:35 compromised or or put the effort in to work with that person to come up with a better solution and three it also shows them that you're a team player okay all three that is the ultimate answer so go back to the philosophy right my philosophy is i recognize that we're we're disagreeing so i want to make sure that i pause i'm open-minded i let them speak i listen to their opinion that's a skill right i listen to them wait for being open-minded that's
5:08 amazing listening that's a skill that's amazing and then okay now i'm looking for a solution i'm not emotional about it i'm just thinking about what's best for the company and off you go philosophy here's what my steps were right and here's what the outcome was that's the result now hopefully hopefully you have a combo solution that you did i'm guessing you work long enough you were at a disagreement with somebody where you came up with a solution that was even better
5:42 okay now you can't use that if they say tell me about a time when you had to influence somebody okay but you can alter what i just gave you to talk about okay i recognize you can still use the same answer up until the part where you go to the example then you have to say and i recognized that my solution was just was the right one based on the goals after i had listened to the person
6:09 and here's how i articulated my my viewpoint and ultimately came up with the outcome and influenced that person to change their mind same story right or same structure right philosophy process or steps and then what the outcome was okay so that that's that one you
Summary
- Use a different formula for behavioral questions: Philosophy, Process, Outcome (PPO).
- Start by explaining your philosophy on the topic, ensuring alignment with the interviewer's values.
- Discuss your process for handling disagreements, emphasizing open-mindedness and active listening.
- Highlight the importance of collaboration to find the best solution for the company.
- Share a specific story that illustrates your philosophy and process, leading to a positive outcome.
- Adapt the structure for different question types, such as influencing others, while maintaining the core elements.
- This method provides insurance against the risk of choosing an unappealing story.
Questions Answered
How should I approach choosing a story in behavioral interviews?
When faced with a question that allows you to choose a story about your behavior, it's crucial to share your philosophy first, followed by the process you undertook, and then the outcome. This approach helps ensure that even if the story chosen isn't favored, your underlying philosophy aligns with the interviewer's expectations.
Why is the STAR technique not effective for behavioral interviews?
The STAR technique, which focuses on Situation, Task, Action, and Result, can lead to losing the interviewer's interest if they dislike the chosen story. Instead, starting with your philosophy creates a safety net, ensuring that the interviewer remains engaged regardless of the story's content.
How should I approach disagreements in a professional setting?
In disagreements, it's essential to recognize the disagreement, listen to the other person's viewpoint, and keep the ultimate goal in mind. By focusing on collaboration and seeking a combined solution, you can foster teamwork and arrive at a better outcome.
What makes an effective story for behavioral interviews?
An effective story should illustrate your open-mindedness, willingness to compromise, and teamwork. By sharing a specific example where you and another person disagreed but ultimately found a blended solution, you demonstrate valuable interpersonal skills.
How can I adapt my storytelling approach for different interview questions?
While the core structure of sharing your philosophy, process, and outcome remains, you may need to adjust the example based on the question. For instance, if asked about influencing someone, focus on how you articulated your viewpoint after listening to others, leading to a successful outcome.